Healthy Tongue Secrets

Angular Cheilitis is certainly not a term that you are likely to have come across often. However, if you hear the term and wonder what it is, or if someone you know says they have it then this article should help make it clear. Angular Cheilitis is a medical condition that affects the corners of the mouth. It can be quite painful as lesions develop, which due to the site and movement of the mouth rapidly deteriorate and split open. They can split longways in line with the mouth opening, but can also split vertically which clearly is going to cause a lot of pain as it will put pressure on the corner of the mouth.

As you may expect these cracks can bleed, be very sore and can get nasty crust-like scabs that are also not very nice. One of the primary causes of Angular Cheilitis is considered to be the medical condition anemia, which is when the body is unable to store and process iron correctly leading to a deficiency. This can be associated with other medical conditions or can just be the sole issue, but is certainly worth pursuing from a medical point of view as it can be symptomatic of something more serious but treatable. Other causes are possible. The fungal infection of thrush, for example, can trigger these lesions, and again this needs treatment to eliminate the fungus. Continue reading →